A major international cultural and humanitarian event, the Armenian heritage conference, is taking place in the Swiss capital, Bern. It was organized at the initiative of the World Council of Churches, in partnership with the Protestant Church in Switzerland and with the support of the Armenian Apostolic Church, informed the press service of the event organizers.

The Kursaal Bern conference center is serving as the main venue for the conference under the theme “Freedom of Religion | Preservation of the Armenian Religious, Cultural, and Historical Heritage in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh” from Monday to Wednesday.

The event brought together theologians, lawyers, human rights activists, politicians, historians, and representatives of various faiths from different parts of the world, becoming a platform for dialogue on the prevention of cultural genocide, the protection of monuments and the rights of displaced peoples.

Among the key participants was Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, who addressed the gathering, emphasizing the spiritual and historical value of the Armenian presence in Artsakh and calling on the international community to show responsibility and solidarity.

The participants of the event discussed the documented destruction of Armenian churches, cemeteries and monuments in Artsakh, which, among other things, is presented through satellite data from the Caucasus Heritage Watch organization, as well as through panels and personal testimonies presented at the exhibition of photojournalist David Ghahramanyan.

The conference became not only a place for analyzing the tragic consequences of recent conflicts, but also an expression of solidarity of the international Christian community with the Armenian people. Special attention is paid to the development of proposals addressed to international organizations, in particular, a call to immediately accept an independent UNESCO mission to assess the state of Armenian cultural heritage in the territories currently under the control of Azerbaijan.

The destruction of holy places is not only a crime against the people, but also a blow to the universal memory of humanity, the event organizers said in an official statement.

At the end of the event, it is planned to adopt a joint declaration, the Bern Declaration, which calls for the protection of Armenian heritage and freedom of religion.